I was looking for a trail during a solo Kings/Sequoia 3 day trip and wanted to look into a nice hike I can spend majority of the day with. I picked Mist Falls over all the other trails because of the end point being a nice waterfall. Growing up near Joshua Tree NPS I anticipated the trail to be fairly barren (meaning not much to look at) until the end of the trail but this trail proved otherwise and not disappoint! The first chunk of the trail has light shade and is fairly flat, then you shift into a denser forest before you get granted with a nice walk along the Kings River. The overflow from the river does feed into the trail, which forces you to maneuver a bit more off trail expected but it was easy to find your way back. Dense forest goes into fairly open canyon stone trail with a bit of elevation gain that increases in intervals. The last mile of the trail does get a bit strenuous if you're not careful with heat and your own pacing. The waterfall, however, does not disappoint and you're treated with a nice view of the canyon.
Round trip took about 5-6 hours including a short picnic at the end of the trail. Waterproof hiking shoes and bug spray are highly recommended!

I LOVE this hike. If you are looking to do a shorter hike with a great payoff this one is the one! We went in the middle of June and there was still snow! The waterfall at the end was amazing and full. There is a nice flat rock right by the waterfall that we had our picnic lunch at. You will get misted by the waterfall but we thought that was very refreshing. There is also a river right next to the trail for most of the way which was beautiful. I loved the sound of the rapids and how clear the water was!

If you are accessing the Congress Trail from General Sherman Tree trail than you will be delighted to know that the Congress Trail is peaceful and lightly trafficked “at least the day we went” unlike General Sherman Trail. If you enjoy seeing Sequoia’s than this trail is a must, this trail provided up close views of hundreds of Sequoia’s.

How can you go to Sequoia National Park without seeing the largest tree alive today? It’s easier to deal with the crowds of people if you remember that your not hiking this trail for peace and serenity but that you are here to see The General Sherman Tree that measures 36.5 feet in diameter, 180 feet high and weighs 1,385 pounds. The park recommends taking the shuttle to the trailhead but if you go early you can find a place to park. After seeing the General Sherman Tree we kept hiking onto the Congress Trail where we saw less than 5 people and tons of Sequoia’s and we were even able to pick up a shuttle at another trailhead back to our car. My point is, if you deal with the people for 0.8 miles and keep hiking you will end up having a great peaceful hike.

This trail is a best kept secret at Kings Canyon National Park!!! First of all, driving back to this trail has more beautiful grand views, than any views in Yosemite or Sequoia National Parks. The first half of the trail has just enough mosquitoes to drive you crazy but its easy to speed through high mosquito zone. The second half of the trail opens up and has some of the best canyon views of a fast flowing river I have ever seen. The views of the falls at the end of the trail make it well worth toughing out the mosquitoes.

Not too difficult but by far, one of my favorite hikes......you better like stairs though! Make sure to pick a warm day to do this trek because it'll add to the overall beauty while keeping you energized to continue.

Crowded trail that leads straight down, and then back up. Worth seeing General Sherman, but a lot of hassel. We took the the Congress Trail from the bottom of the General Sherman Trail. That was very cool!